A day in the life of a volunteer mom

Posts Tagged ‘Children’

Okay, anyone who has a special needs child knows how difficult it can be to get others to understand what you go through. I’ve tried for the past 18 years to be a good volunteer at various schools in my area. My thought is that I was helping shape our future. I thought I was helping the faculty, staff and students. Not only that but I was happy to be the eyes and ears for other parents who might not make it up to the school on a daily basis.
I have had quite the “helium hand” for these past 18 years. I typically put in 1800 volunteer hours per school year. Not something to take lightly.
This is the first week back at my son’s jr high. I was asked to volunteer in the school library again this year as I did last year. I quickly agreed as I quite like the library gals. Well, today I was told that the volunteer coordinator has arranged all the needed volunteers for the library so I’m no longer needed.
If I wanted her to I’m quite sure the librarian would fight for me to stay there but why would I want her to jeopardize her job just so I can give my time when it’s not wanted? The volunteer coordinator does not like me. Let’s get that straight. She called me names, yelled at me and even threatened my son and myself in writing last year. She’s a not really the person I’d put in charge of getting volunteers into the school. But, you know the principal has his group of minions and it so happens that he would rather have her there than the 20 people I’ve heard say they won’t volunteer with her in charge. Hope he’s made the right choice.
So, this helium hand has popped. I’ve volunteered my last hours at WMJH. I helped with the bookfair set up today and I wish them well with the sale. I truly hope that the (as I call her) Wicked Witch of West Mo is happy. She won. I’m out of there.
I’m seriously hoping to have my son transferred to a different school at some point. It was only the 4th day of school and his special ed teacher told him he was going to have to repeat 8th grade. Um, she already knows this on the 4th day of school? Really?
It has been a very difficult decision for me but it was, once again, one that was made FOR me. I am not needed so why would I continue to force myself on a school?

My son went to see the endocrinologist. She ordered several tests…a bone age scan, a full body scan and blood work. Well, getting a 130 pound boy to sit for blood work just wasn’t happening. I tried everything I knew. We tried coaxing, bribing, distracting and even called in the “child life” specialist. She tried her bag of tricks. All in all there were six of us in the room trying to get this one little boy to let them take a vial of blood.

So, we’ll have to try again later.

Our next stop is the geneticist. Still waiting to hear who we are to see. The way Texas Children’s works is they call you. It seems like forever until you hear from them. We’re to go back to the endocrinologist in six months. Joys.

My mother in law was hospitalized for 10 days with heart issues. She is now doing great and is home.

My dad is having issues with his neck. Can’t move it at all. We’re hoping it’s because he stopped taking one of his meds. It seems one of the side effects can be joint pain. Fingers crossed that’s all that it is.

The bullying is still out of control at my son’s school. Another student transferred because of it. Not sure why their transfer request was accepted and ours was denied. Although, I’ve heard that since the school has been in the media due to bullying they’re granting the requests more often now. Maybe I’ll have to try again!

Hubby is still working mega hours for no extra money. Anyone have a job for a really great corporate controller?

Eldest daughter fell off of her longboard and scraped her knee. She faulted me for asking why she was longboarding in a semi deserted parking garage at 10:30 at night instead of being concerned about her knee. Call me crazy but when a child calls laughing about an incident you typically assume they are okay and can then start nagging about the whys and wheres that the incident happened, right? She’s fine.

A group of “ladies” at my son’s school are being bullies (wonder where the kids get it, eh?). It got so bad I had to go to the principal to ask him to have them leave me alone. How very sad is that?

The good part is a new week is about to start. I can’t wait to see what it will bring!!!

My day had just gone downhill from the time I got up yesterday. My son has been on track for a sleep study for almost six months. They called to let me know that the doctors wouldn’t be in on Tuesday so we had to reschedule. And, unfortunately, there was no open appointment. Hm. I guess the “doctors” didn’t know they were supposed to work?

This would really throw off all of the plans. We had the EEG last week, sleep study was scheduled for this week and neuro visit after those results come in. We’re really looking forward to some answers. The results of the bloodwork he had done showed that my son has XXXY chromosomes instead of XY. More on this later. I’m just barely starting my research on that.

I walked outside to check the mail to find that Will had bandaged our azalea bush. It was covered in bandaids. Guess it has issues.

The day got so much better when I got a call from a lady saying that I was in the running for the job of Pillsbury Crescent Brand Ambassador! I have a couple of recipes to send her by Friday and a few other things she needed. I was so tongue tied when she called it’s a wonder that I could even speak.

Caitlin and I have been trying new recipes with the Pillsbury Crescent sheets since we found them. No more piecing the crescent triangles together to make that big sheet of flaky dough! It’s all ready to go now! How cool is that? Caitlin is super thrilled that she found some butter flavored crescents. New ideas coming all the time!

Will came running in about 7pm yesterday saying the house next door is on fire. Well, I always take what he says with a grain of salt. I got my daughter out of the house and we watched the firemen work for a bit. Yes, there were several fire trucks in our front yard! Turns out our neighbor smelled a burning smell in their room (similar to the smell when you turn on that heater for the first time). The firemen didn’t find anything so they wrapped up and left. Of course by this time more neighbors were outside wondering what was going on.

One of the firemen was our old neighbor. I say old…he is 19 but he used to live two houses down. His family moved a few months ago. Seems only yesterday his mom was over here upset because he’d bitten a child while he was in kindergarten! They grow up so fast.

Just thankful that there really was no fire, that Pillsbury called on a day when I really needed the pick me up, Will got to see the firetrucks and all the excitement, summer is here and the mosquitoes left us alone for a brief moment.

Everyone says I should write about those things that happen each and every day in our lives. I live it so I don’t see the humor in what happens until much later. Okay, so sometimes I see the humor as things happen.

This is my blog about all that goes on around here. First, a little introduction. I am a happily married mom of 3 wonderful children. My eldest, Caitlin, is in college studying culinary arts. She graduated high school in June and moved out in August. My middle child, Libby, is our theatrical child. Her goal in life is “to be famous.” For real. My youngest, Will, is the subject of most of my stories. He is a special needs child. His diagnosis include but are not limited to: Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, OCD, Epilepsy and Cerebral Palsy. He is also the reason I now am a stay at home mom.